Cotton-gathering machine



n. 25 192 7 D. M. KEY 1 COTTON GATHERING MACHINE Filed Jan.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 25 1 927 D. M. KEY

COTTON GATHERING MACHINE Filed Jan. 2,. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I atboznut Patented Jan. 25, 1927.

UNITED SATES.

PATNT QFFiflE.

DAVID M. KEY, OF DALLAS, TEXAS.

COTTON-GATHERING MACHINE.

' Application filed. January 2, 1925.

. drawn along the rows to gather the cotton and unopened bolls.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the characterdescribed having teeth for removing and gathering the cotton and bollsand means for elevating and delivering the same to the body of the wagonor truck. I

A further object is to provide means for cracking the unopened bolls,whereby a portion of the hulls and trash will drop off the elevator,thus requiring less cleaning.

Astill further object is to provide a self driving machine which merelyrequires attachment to a wagon or truck to give traction and operate.

A construction designed to carry out the invention will be herein afterdescribed together with other features of the invention.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading'of thefollowing specification and by reference to the accompanying drawings,in which an example of the invention is shown, and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a cotton gathering machine constructed inaccordance with my invention,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same partly in section,

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation, and

Fig. 4 is a detail of the driving connections.

In the drawings the numeral 10 designates a supporting axle. which ismade fast in ground wheels 11. The axle bears upon longitudinal reachbars or beams 12 and is rotatably confined by bearing blocks 13 boltedon the rear ends of the beams. The beams are long enough to reachunder abody 'A of a wagon and bolt to the rear axle B thereof.

The beams are 'spaced'apart-as is shown in Figs. 1 and' 3 and e-a'chhasthe lower end of a standard 14 seated therein. The trough for anelevator or inclined conveyor coinpri'ses Sideboards 15 connected bytransverse bottom bars 16 and top cross brackets 17 The side boards arefastened to the upper ends of the standards. Right angular metalbrackets 18, secured to the bar 16 at the bottom of the conveyor havebearing transverse shaft 29.

Serial .No. 86.

eyes receiving a shaft 19 carried by the beams. These brackets supportthe lower end of the conveyor and are located at each end of a largedrum 20 mounted on the shaft between the side boards. i

At the upper ends of the side boards is journaled a transverse shaft 21on which is mounted a small drum, 22 A conveyor belt 23 has its endssupported in the drums. Thisbelt whichmay be of suitable material hastransverse strips 24 secured on its face. The conveyor overhangs thebody A of the wagon for guiding the discharge into the body. The belt 23and drums 20 and 22 constitute the conveyor.

Plates 26 are secured to the inner sides of the beams at the lower endsof the conveyor. In these plates-are supported in concentric relation tothe shaft 19 and drum 20, an upper transverse shaft 27, an intermediatetransverse shaft 28 and a lower On "the shaft 27 is mounted a drum 30while drums 31 and '32 respectively, are mounted on the other shafts.These drums are made of wooden cylinders or suitable material andrevolve in close proximity to the belt, there being just enoughclearance for the strips or slats.

At the lower ends of the plates is fastened a transverse bar 83 andforwardly curved tines or fingers 34 have their rear ends fastened insaid bar. These tines are suitably spaced apart to support the bolls andpermit the stems and leaves to pass therethrough. The tines underlie thedrum 20 and engage the cotton plants to remove the V cotton and bollstherefrom. Stirrups 35 depend from the plates and have .journaledtherein a beater. shaft 36. Radial fingers or prongs '37 carried by theshaftmove between orjust under the tines for removing vines or othertrash.

For driving the various parts a large sprocket 38 is fastened on. theaxle l0 and drives a sprocket chain 89' having its forward end passingaround and driving a smaller sprocket 40 fastened on the shaft 19,whereby the drum 20 and the conveyor are driven. The upper run of thechain drives an endless chain 45 which drives a sprocket 46 on the shaft27; while the sprocket 4 1 drives an endless chain 4'7 which drives asprocket 48 on the shaft 29. The wheels 11 being revolved forwardlyrevolve the drum 20 in a clockwise direction by the chain 39, but thesprocket 4:1 is driven in a counter clockwise direction and the sprocket4:2 in a clockwise direction. This revolves the beater so that it pullsvines down between the tines and forwardly. The shaft 28 and drum 31 aredriven counter clockwise as are likewise the chains 15 and 47 and thedrums 30 and 32.

It is to be understood that various changes and modifications can bemade in the driving connections and the arrangement of the differentparts as described and illustrated is subject to variation, all withinthe scope of the appended claims.

In using the machine the beams 12 are attached to rear axle B of a wagonor truck so that the inclined conveyor belt 23 will overhang the body Aand discharge thereunto. As the machine is drawn along the rows ofcotton plants by the wagon the drums 20, 22, 30, 31 and 32 will be putin motion. The tines 34 will engage the cotton plants and pull thecotton locks and unopened bolls therefrom and as these work rearwardlyon the tines they will be taken up by the belt 23 and carried around thedrum 20. When the cotton and unopened bolls are elevated they arebrought into contact with the drums 30, 31 and 32, whereby theunopenedbolls are crushed. The conveyor belt 23 passing between the drum20 and the crushing or breaking drums 30, 31 and 32 will carry the locksand unopened bolls therebetween. The bolls are thus crushed or broken onthe slatted surface of the belt by the drums 30, 31 and 32, the beltbeing supported by and stretched over the large drum at this point. Thelarge drum 20 thus has the dual function of sup-- porting and drivingthe conveyor belt and also acting as an anvil coacting with the smalldrums in crushing or breaking the bolls. The drums 20, 30, 31 and 32thus constitute boll crushing or breaking means. The conveyor beltmerely acts to carry the bolls between the drums and has no crushing orbreaking function. Considerable of the trash will fall out at thispoint, but the cotton will be carried by the strips 2 1. The belt willcarry the cotton up the conveyor and discharge into the body. Thismethod of gathering is efficient and rapid. While more trash and leaveswill be gathered than by the hand method of picking, such can be removedby a suitable cleaner.

What I claim, is:

1. In a gathering machine, the combination of ground wheels, 2. supportcarried by the ground wheels and adapted to he attached to the rear of avehicle, gathering means carried by the support, a conveyor having adriving drum mounted on the support to discharge into the vehicle andreceiving its load from the gathering means, and boll crushing meansco-acting with the conveyor driving drum.

In a gathering machine, the combination of ground wheels, a supportcarried by the ground wheels and adapted to be attached to the rear of avehicle, gathering means carried by the support, a conveyor having adriving drum mounted on the support to discharge into the vehicle andreceiving its load from the gathering means, a plurality of bollcrushing drums co-acting with the conveyor driving drum, and means fortransmitting motion from the ground wheels to the conveyor and drums.

3. In a gathering machine, the combination of ground wheels, a supportcarried by the ground wheels and adapted to be attached to the rear of avehicle, gathering means carried by the support in advance of the groundwheels, a large conveyor drum adjacent the gathering means, a smallerconveyor drum for overhanging the vehicle, a conveyor belt having itsends supported on said drums. boll crushing means co-acting with thelarge conveyor drum and the lower end of the conveyor belt, and meansfor transn'iitting motion from the ground wheels to the large drum andthe boll crushing means.

4. In a gathering machine, the combination of ground wheels, a supportcarried by the ground wheels and adapted to be attached to the rear of avehicle, gathering means carried by the support in advance of the groundwheels, a large conveyor drum adjacent the gathering means, a smallerconveyor drum for overhanging the vehicle, a conveyor belt having itsends supported on said drums, a plurality of boll crushing drums mountedcontiguous to the large conveyor drum and the lower end of the conveyorbelt, and means for transmitting motion to the large drum and the bollcrushing drums.

5. In a gathering machine, the combination of ground wheels, a supportcarried by the ground wheels and adapted to be attached to the rear of avehicle, gathering means carried by the support in advance of the groundwheels. a large conveyor drum adjacent the gathering means, a smallerconveyor drum for overhanging the vehicle, a conveyor belt having itsends supported on said drums, a plurality of boll crushing drums mountedconcentric to the large conveyor drum, and means for transmitting motionto the large drum and the boll crushing drums.

6. In a gathering machine, the combina tion of ground wheels, a supportcarried by the ground wheels and adapted to be attached to the rear of avehicle, an inclined conveyor mounted on the support for discharginginto the vehicle, a plurality of tines under the lower end of theconveyor, boll crushing means in rear of the tines and contiguous to thelower end of the conveyor, a revolving cleaning device contiguous to thetines, and means for transmitting motion from the ground wheels to theconveyor, boll crushing means and cleaning device.

7. In a gathering machine, the combination of ground wheels, a pair oibeams carried by their rear ends by the ground wheels and their frontends being adapted to be attached to the rear of a vehicle, an inclinedconveyor carried by the beams and including a pair of drums supportingan endless belt, tines mounted under the lower end of the beltcontiguous to the lower drum a plurality of boll crushing drums mountedcontiguous to the lower drum of the conveyor, means for driving conveyorbelt in a clockwise direction, and means for driving the boll breakingdrums in a counter clockwise direction.

8. In a gathering machine, the combination of ground wheels, a pair ofbeams carried by their rear ends by the ground wheels and their frontends being adapted to be attached to the rear of a vehicle, an inclinedconveyor carried by the beams and including a pair of drums supportingan endless belt, tines mounted under the lower end of the beltcontiguous to the lower drum, supports carried by the beams, a pluralityof drums mounted in the supports concentrically to the lower drum of theconveyor, means for driving the lower conveyor drum in a clockwisedirection, and means for driving the boll breaking drums in a counterclockwise direction.

9. In a gathering machine, the combination of a pair of ground wheels,an axle carried by the wheels, a pair of longitudinal beams having theirrear ends supported on the axle and their forward ends adapted forattachment to the rear of a vehicle, standards carried by the beams,inclined conveyor side boards supported on the standards, a small drumat the upper ends of the side boards, a large drum mounted between thebeams at the lower ends oi the boards, an endless conveyor beltsupported on the large and small drums bet-ween the side boards,supports carried by the beams, a plurality of boll breaking drums,journaled in the supports contiguous to the large drum, a transverse barcarried by the supports under the large drum and in proximity to lowestboll breaking drum, curved tines directed forwardly from the bar, meansfor driving the large drum in a clockwise direction, and means fordriving the boll breaking drums in a counter clockwise direction.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

1 DAVID M. KEY.

